Seeing this, the Holy Venerable felt a stir in his heart. Seeking out the good-for-nothing Qingxuan, he said, "Senior Brother Jiu Zeng is so agreeable and possesses such formidable strength—why don't we ask him to help us borrow cultivation arts from all around? That way, before long, we can borrow and read through all the various Daos of the other shore."
Qingxuan was greatly tempted as well and said, "Indeed, we can take this opportunity to share Dao Ancestor Xu's burdens and resolve his difficulties."
On the other side, Grand Dao Lord Taiyi and Xu Ying left Daoji Heaven together, stepping into the starry sky and heading toward Tianjing.
Once upon a time, Tianjing had been the "other shore" in the hearts of the people of the other shore. Regrettably, it had later been destroyed by them. As the two traveled, Taiyi moved with absolute ease and composure. With a single stride, hundreds of millions of li of space shrank beneath his feet, reduced to mere inches.
Xu Ying activated his reincarnation divine ability, forming a colossal wheel of space and time. Radiant and dazzling, it carved forward through space at a speed not the slightest bit slower than Taiyi's, allowing them to advance side by side.
Grand Dao Lord Taiyi said, "During this seclusion, I thoroughly comprehended the two words 'Dao Realm' from the Xuanhuang Dao Realm Scripture. This cultivation art uses one's own Great Dao as a cave abyss to forge a world of Great Daos, composed purely of Dao. Within the Dao Realm, it encompasses all the myriad Daos of the world, making it utterly profound."
He seemed to be explaining the subtleties of the Xuanhuang Dao Realm Scripture to Xu Ying. For instance, Xuanhuang cultivated the Dao of Creation and became the Dao Master of Creation. Reincarnation was not included within Creation, but by practicing reincarnation and incorporating it into his own Dao Realm, he could master the Great Dao of Reincarnation. If he practiced Taiyi and incorporated it into his Dao Realm, he could likewise master the Taiyi Great Dao. This was the true essence of the Xuanhuang Dao Realm Scripture.
Although Xu Ying had memorized the scripture backward and forward, he had never paid much attention to this Dao Master–level cultivation art, nor had he studied it diligently. Now, guided by Taiyi's pointers, he felt a stir in his heart. Comparing it against the scripture, he immediately unlocked many profound insights.
'The Dao Realm chapter of this technique can actually be cross-verified with my Martial Dao cave abyss,' he thought to himself. Along the way, Xu Ying consulted Taiyi, inquiring closely into the methods of cultivating a Dao Realm. Taiyi held nothing back, sharing every insight he had gained over the past several centuries without reservation.
Xu Ying cross-referenced the Dao Realm with his Martial Dao cave abyss. His Martial Dao cave abyss was currently following the path of an internal Hongyuan, treating the Martial Dao cave abyss as a Hongyuan itself. Both he and Zhangsun Shenghai cultivated the nine innate Daos, and both faced the same conundrum: how to govern all nine.
Without prior consultation, both he and Zhangsun Shenghai had embarked on the path of cultivating a Hongyuan, though one was an internal cultivation while the other was external. Xu Ying's goal for his internal Hongyuan was to contain the nine innate Great Daos—Chaos, Primordial Beginning, Wuji, Taiyi, and the rest—as well as thousands of other Great Daos within, all unified either by Taiyi or by Reincarnation.
However, opening an internal Hongyuan was extraordinarily difficult. The Martial Dao cave abyss was merely equivalent to an embryonic internal Hongyuan; how to cultivate it further was something Xu Ying was still feeling out on his own. Nevertheless, Taiyi imparting the Dao Realm method provided immense inspiration, causing Xu Ying to sink unconsciously into deep contemplation.
Watching him, Grand Dao Lord Taiyi could not help but be moved. Xu Ying looked like an ordinary person on the outside, yet an aura resembling that of a Dao Master faintly pulsed from within him, growing stronger and stronger. Xu Ying's talent was truly extraordinary.
Several months later, they finally arrived at Tianjing. Tianjing was now vastly different from when they had departed—one could even say it had undergone earth-shattering changes. Back then, it had been an expanse of ruins, permeated with the stench of death and extinction, dim and devoid of life. Now, centuries later, the land was lush and verdant. Vegetation had sprung up from unknown origins, brimming with vigorous vitality. There were also many creatures not native to the other shore, such as court deer that were pure white and glimmered with specks of spiritual light, leaping among the mountains and rivers. Only upon coming here did Xu Ying truly believe that a realm like Tianjing genuinely existed in the world.
"When the first people from the other shore arrived here all those years ago, they must have been deeply awed as well, right, Teacher?" Xu Ying asked.
Smiling faintly, Xu Ying did not pursue the subject. The two traveled deeper into Tianjing, unconsciously entering its heartland. To their surprise, many Tianjing people had arrived at some point, erecting cities, walls, and settlements of various sizes upon the ruins to live and multiply. These people were likely the descendants of those who had fled to the other shore in the past; having heard that the Great Daos of Tianjing were rising with the tide, they had returned to their ancestral land. The Dao methods and divine abilities they practiced were also founded on patterned scripts, though judging by their cultivation, there were still no true experts among them.
Because the Sacred Clan of the other shore had once committed acts of extermination against the Tianjing people, they kept a strict watch over those living on the other shore. They refused to teach them advanced Dao methods, strictly forbade intermarriage between Tianjing people and the Sacred Clan or other races, capped their population, and repeatedly relocated their settlements, driving them into remote wastelands in an effort to wipe them out as completely as possible.
Only later, with the introduction of cultivators from other universes and the emergence of these New Sacred Clans, did the other shore's surveillance over the Tianjing people become somewhat less stringent.
It was during that period that the four Grand Dao Lords—Taiyi, Life and Death, Yinyang, and Gods and Demons—had each taken a Tianjing person as a disciple, planning for the future.
Taiyi said to Xu Ying, "You are well-versed in the Great Dao of Calamitous Destiny; use it to search for Ji Cang's whereabouts. Dao Master Hua must have gone looking for him, which is why he has been missing for six or seven years. Finding Ji Cang means we will not be far from finding Dao Master Hua."
Xu Ying looked toward the Tianjing people, scrutinizing their calamitous destinies. As a Dao Master bearing the calamitous destiny of the other shore, Ji Cang would undoubtedly be exceedingly conspicuous. With Xu Ying's current mastery, a single glance was enough to see through everyone's calamitous destiny clearly.
Xu Ying shook his head. "There is no sign of Ji Cang among them."
Grand Dao Lord Taiyi did not linger, venturing further into Tianjing. Tianjing had originally been a universe of its own. Due to the Great Dao tides, its Daos had ebbed, causing everyone to lose their cultivation. Tianjing's starry sky had also been seized by the other shore, leaving its starlight faint and dim. Even so, Tianjing remained vast and boundless, impossible to traverse in merely a month or two.
"Zhuo Daochun!" Xu Ying was quite surprised, looking the young Tianjing man up and down. Silver hair fluttering, the youth possessed an unrestrained grace unique to the Tianjing people, showing not the slightest fear even before Grand Dao Lord Taiyi.
"Disciple Zhuo Daochun pays his respects to Master!" Zhuo Daochun stepped forward and bowed deeply.
"Rise," Grand Dao Lord Taiyi said, his gaze falling upon him. Inspecting Zhuo Daochun, Taiyi noted that since leaving the Taiyi Dao Sect, his cultivation had advanced by leaps and bounds. Back then, though Zhuo Daochun had deliberately concealed his strength, he had not been able to fool Taiyi. Among the Immortal disciples of the Taiyi Dao Sect, Zhuo Daochun had easily ranked second, surpassed only by Zhangsun Shenghai. Now, his cultivation was far more profound than before, likely because following Great Dao Lord Xuhuang and the others to decipher the Xuanhuang Dao Realm Scripture had yielded immense rewards.
Taiyi felt as though a Dao Realm capable of containing all Great Daos was hidden within Zhuo Daochun's body, with various distinct Dao powers faintly seeping out from time to time. Seeing such growth brought Taiyi a sense of gratification.
"When I took you as my disciple back then, I harbored intentions of using you—waiting for the Great Dao to rise so I could seize a Dao Master cultivation art. You infiltrated my sect also intending to learn my Daos and rally the Tianjing people against the other shore," Taiyi said. "We used each other. Meeting today, we are already foes. If you still treat me as your teacher, you may very well die at my hands."
Zhuo Daochun rose and said, "I shall heed Master's teaching."
Taiyi continued, "Back then, you secretly visited the Tianhao Forbidden Zone to learn his divine abilities; I knew of it. I also know that you passed the true transmission of our lineage to the Dragon Clan of the Heavenly Immortal Realm."
Greatly astonished, Zhuo Daochun asked, "Since Master knew, why did you not expose me?"
"I intended to use you, and you intended to use me. Why bother pursuing it?" Taiyi smiled.
Hearing this, Xu Ying felt a surge of emotion and chuckled. "Back then, Master turned a blind eye, Junior Brother Zhuo taught the Taiyi true transmission to Imperial Son Mingxi of the Heavenly Immortal Realm, Mingxi passed it to me, and I came from the Three Realms to the other shore to take Master as my teacher. Could it be that the Dao of Karma can traverse space, time, and the Chaos Sea, carrying an inexplicable touch of destiny?"
Taiyi and Zhuo Daochun both felt a strange, surreal sensation at those words. After a moment, they gathered their thoughts, and Zhuo Daochun said, "I have come by orders to invite the two of you to meet Dao Master Ji Cang."
Xu Ying was startled and asked, "Meet Ji Cang? Has Ji Cang joined hands with you? By coming to invite Master, could it be that you plan to lure Master into a trap and finish him off?"
Truly worthy of a disciple of the Taiyi lineage!
Hearing this, Taiyi also felt a sudden jolt. People always said his sect was full of rebellious spirits—did Zhuo Daochun truly plan to lure him over and kill him?
Zhuo Daochun smiled faintly. "You will know once you go."
Xu Ying glanced at Taiyi, who gave a slight nod. The two followed Zhuo Daochun, flying unhurriedly into the mountains. Ahead, the mountains and rivers shone with resplendent colors, celestial omens draped the skies in breathtaking beauty, and brilliant light dazzled the eyes—as though an ink painting were rushing toward them, stepping from art into reality and drawing them into its fold.
Even though Xu Ying had seen numerous universes since arriving at the other shore, he could not help but gasp in admiration. Such a magnificent sight truly existed in this world!
They passed an immortal mountain where a solitary, singular peak stood proud. Heavenly Venerable Taiyi sat atop it, gazing toward Taiyi from afar. The reincarnation ring behind his head shone with blinding brilliance, as if poised to draw both Tianjing and the other shore into his cycle of reincarnation!
Xu Ying was visibly moved. The last time he had seen Heavenly Venerable Taiyi, his strength had only rivaled a True King's; now, he could already step into the ranks of Dao Lords! His mastery over reincarnation might still fall slightly short of Dao Shengzi's, but it far surpassed Xu Ying's. Moreover, with Dao Shengzi dead, Heavenly Venerable Taiyi could be considered the foremost master of the Great Dao of Reincarnation!
Taiyi and Heavenly Venerable Taiyi's gazes met. Taiyi gave a slight nod and continued forward. Ahead, Mount Sumeru blazed with brilliant light. The Buddha sat upright, surrounded by a sea of golden clouds, while tens of thousands of Buddhas manifested cave abysses of varying sizes behind their heads, resplendent and forming ring after ring of glowing halos. The Dao cave abyss cultivated by the Buddha was not any innate Great Dao, but the Buddhist Dao, focused on cultivating the mind and nature; he, too, had attained great achievement, reaching the level of a Dao Lord.
Taiyi walked on and saw Dao Ancestor Yuxu ensconced upon a jade peak as steep as a cliff face. A Daoist temple stood perched right at the precipice. The Daoist cultivated the Void, and the cave abyss behind his head was utterly empty, clear, deep blue, and bottomless. Such a Void Dao method did not belong to the nine innate Daos, and few on the other shore studied it; only one Immortal had cultivated it, yet had made no further progress after reaching the early Immortal realm. Grand Dao Lord Taiyi could not help taking several extra looks at Dao Ancestor Yuxu, thinking silently, 'This Dao of the Void does not seem inferior to the nine innate Daos.'
He then encountered Dao Ancestor Taiqing and Dao Ancestor Yuqing. Both Dao Ancestors were currently cultivating the Dao of Wuji, each with his own realizations. Though both studied Wuji, their emphases differed: Taiqing leaned toward Taiji, while Yuqing leaned toward Taiyi (Supreme Change). These two also sent a chill of awe through Grand Dao Lord Taiyi's heart.
Inspecting them one by one, he saw that these rebels from the Three Realms had all seen their cultivation and strength skyrocket over the past two hundred years, leaping from the level of Immortal True Kings straight to that of Dao Lords! Achieving such an astonishing leap in a mere two centuries was truly terrifying!
One had to realize that the Immortals of the other shore were different from those of other universes; they harvested the myriad universes, using the cultivators of those realms to assist their cultivation and pooling their wisdom to perfect their own Dao methods! How immense was their cultivation? Though all were Immortals, the gaps between early, middle, peak, and consummate Immortal realms were vast.
Yet these barbarians from the Three Realms, without harvesting cultivators from the myriad universes, had actually elevated their cultivation and strength to such heights. Taiyi could not help but be shaken. 'There must be a resurrected Dao Master in Tianjing guiding their cultivation; otherwise, their cultivation and strength could never have grown so swiftly,' he thought. Just then, he caught sight of the Ancestral God, and his heart gave a lurch. That deity's strength was unfathomable, his dharmic power so boundless that it gave Taiyi the profound impression of an entire universe!
Drawing back his gaze, he saw Great Dao Lord Xuhuang. Taiyi maintained a placid expression, yet turbulent waves surged in his heart. Great Dao Lord Xuhuang had originally been slightly inferior to the four Grand Dao Lords, yet during this time, he too had made sudden, monumental strides! Now, Great Dao Lord Xuhuang gave him the impression of being almost evenly matched with himself!
There was definitely a Dao Master in Tianjing—perhaps more than one! No wonder Dao Master Hua had vanished for so many years!
Arriving before Xuhuang, Taiyi offered a greeting and inquired, "Where is Dao Master Ji Cang?"
Xuhuang replied, "Fellow Daoist, please." Grand Dao Lord Taiyi followed him to an immortal hall. The doors of the hall were covered in layers of seals and restrictions, as though imprisoning some demonic monstrosity. Xuhuang broke the seals, and Taiyi and Xu Ying followed him inside.
The interior of the hall held a world of its own—an immense, boundless realm stretching beyond sight. At this moment, snow was falling within the hall's world: gray flakes drifting thick and fast, carpeting the realm beneath an untold depth of Dao snow.
Dao Master Ji Cang stood within this world, hands behind his back as he looked upon the scene. His colossal physical body was now riddled with countless wounds. A gust of chilly wind blew through; to Ji Cang, it felt bone-chillingly frigid, boring straight into his marrow and carrying Dao snow resembling black mist out from his body to scatter in all directions.
Turning his head, he saw Xu Ying once more and flashed a bleak, wretched smile. "Brat, calamitous destiny has caught up with me!" He chuckled toward Xu Ying and said, "I don't have long to live!"
Seeing this, Xu Ying felt his hair stand on end. Dao Master Dao Zongyuan of the Origin Realm had defied the heavens by his own strength to alter the Origin Realm's destiny and confront the calamitous destiny; even in death, his physical body had remained indestructible, with only an occasional flake of Dao ash drifting from his frame. Ji Cang, as a fellow Dao Master, was likely even stronger in cultivation than Dao Zongyuan had been back then. Yet in just a few short years, the calamitous destiny had reduced him to such a state!
'Just how terrifying is the other shore's calamitous destiny?' Xu Ying thought, chilled to the core.
Chapter 801